I've gotten a little behind in my movie viewing over the last couple of years. At one point I was at the movie theater at least once a week, but due to lack of funds and other obligations I've found it harder and harder to get there. Like the title suggests, the movie reviews I will do for the blog are going to be movies from my Netflix queue. That being the case, they won't always be current, but hopefully they will still be fun...
Big Fan- 3 out of 5 stars
writer: Robert D. Siegel
director: Robert D. Siegel
cast: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan
Patton Oswalt, one of the best stand-up comedians out there, may be the lead in this movie about an obsessive New York Giant football fan, but Robert Siegel's take on the subject is far from funny. Siegel is the writer of 2008's indie darling The Wrestler and much like that film Big Fan is a dark tale of a man lost in a world of his own creation that most people don't understand. Unlike The Wrestler, there is very little feeling of redemption here, or at least hope of redemption. Oswalt's character, Paul Aufiero, works in a parking garage, lives with his mother, calls into late night radio talk shows with scripted rants, watches Giants games on a TV in the Giant Stadium parking lot and has no aspirations of anything else. When other family members badger him about finding a career or starting a family Paul says he's not interested and the viewer can't help but believe him. As pathetic as most of us would find the character, Paul seems totally content with the world he has created for himself. Sports fans can't help but feel a little threatened by Siegel's portrayal of this world. Paul is nothing but a blown up caricature of a sports fanatic. Most sports fans can relate to many of the trials and tribulations he goes through. We've all bumped into our favorite player in public and debated what to do. We've all used the pronouns us and we when talking about our favorite teams. Some of us may have even called into a radio program to add to the conversation or debate. But I find it hard to believe anyone takes it to the delusional level Paul does. Unfortunately, I'm sure most non-sports fans don't find it so hard. It's everything they fear of those they don't understand.
Over all I found the movie an interesting view. It kept me entertained for a hour and a half, even though it masked hyperbole as truth. Oswalt and one of those "that guy" character actors, Kevin Corrigan, did a great job making the somewhat depressing world the two characters lived in seem that much more real. Siegel seems to have a knack for depicting the pathetic and depressive in a way that makes you want to keep watching. I feel this movie would have been better served if it gave the audience some hope for Paul's future other then that he was content in his world, but then again, I don't write award winning movies, just this stupid blog.
***SPOILER***
One interesting question the movie does bring up for us sports fanatics is, how important is the success of our team to us? In the movie Paul gets savagely beat by his favorite athlete and then refuses to press charges because it might mean the end of said players career or at least further suspension that would hurt the Giants chances of making the playoffs. As foreign as that rational may be to some, I got it. In fact I started to worry about the repercussions before it was even fully addressed in the film. If you were given the choice of huge pay day or the continued success of your favorite team, what would you do? Would you continue to defend your favorite player even after he has proven to be a horrible person? Many people in Pittsburgh are going through this dilemma right now. Are you better off with a sub-par team that might not make the playoffs but made up of good people or a Super Bowl contender with a quarterback who has been accused of rape and other horrible acts multiple times? Paul ultimately decides for the later and although I don't really agree, I understand.
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